This year, the NBA Finals take place between the Eastern Conference champions, the Boston Celtics, and the Western Conference champions, the Dallas Mavericks.
The Celtics have dominated their way to the NBA Finals with a combined regular and postseason record of 76-20. Boston has showcased its playoff pedigree with consistent performances from their stalwarts Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. Even through a downtrodden East, the Celtics have executed in critical situations to advance. In addition, those outcomes were accompanied by clutch performances from Derrick White, Jrue Holiday, and Al Horford. But arguably their biggest x-factor, Kristaps Porzingis, has been missing for the better part of a month with a calf injury. As the Latvian unicorn nears his return to start the Finals, the Celtics are the favorites entering the series. Everyone is wondering how the Celtics will respond to those expectations now that they have back a full team.
The Mavericks enter the Finals with the hottest scoring duo in the NBA. Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving have shown at numerous points this postseason their prowess in making tough shots repeatedly. Dallas’s backcourt shouldn’t make viewers overlook the performance of their supporting cast of Dereck Lively, Derrick Jones Jr., Daniel Gafford, and P.J. Washington. Two of those names highlight the Maverick’s own aggression in the pursuit of a championship. The deadline acquisitions have transformed Dallas’s size, energy, and spacing. However, the hurdle that awaits the Mavericks is their relative inexperience. How will everyone outside of Irving (who is playing in his first Finals game in seven years) hold up to the biggest stage? Ultimately, the Mavericks will lean on their 25-year-old superstar to rise to the occasion.
The official schedule of the #NBAFinals presented by @YouTubeTV!
Game 1: Thursday, June 6th at 8:30pm/et on ABC pic.twitter.com/zGytOVLcMD
— NBA (@NBA) May 31, 2024
For our annual roundtable, here are some of our writer’s predictions for the NBA Finals.
Mikey Kobrinsky’s NBA Finals Prediction
Celtics win 4-3
The Boston Celtics and Dallas Mavericks are set to do battle on the hardwood to hoist the 2024 Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy. This is a star-studded matchup, every way fans look. The Mavericks’ backcourt of Kyrie Irving and Luka Dončić will face off against the talented wing duo of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. Looking beyond the games themselves, Celtics fans will likely give Irving a hard time in TD Garden. It should make for an interesting narrative throughout the series.
Kristaps Porziņģis is set to return to action for the first time since Boston’s first-round series against the Miami Heat. His impact will be massive on the offensive end due to his ability to space the floor. Daniel Gafford and Dereck Lively II have impressed as rim protectors and lob threats this postseason for Dallas. Against the Minnesota Timberwolves in the Western Conference Finals, they were able to roam the paint because Rudy Gobert is not comfortable away from the rim. However, Porziņģis thrives from beyond the arc, shooting 37% on 5.1 triples per game this season. Fans should keep an eye on Gafford and Lively’s impacts against Al Horford and Porziņģis compared to the previous series.
The Celtics have the necessary role players to give them an edge in this matchup. Boston’s two-headed defensive monster of Derrick White and Jrue Holiday will make Dončić and Irving work hard for every bucket. Even though Derrick Jones Jr. is a strong, versatile defender, he cannot guard Brown and Tatum simultaneously. Irving, Dončić, and P.J. Washington must continue to step up defensively for the Mavericks to win the championship.
(Jesse Johnson/USA TODAY Sports)
“I predict Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic will continue to dominate as a duo.
Honestly, I don’t see any Celtics player challenging these two. Last series, against the NBA’s best regular-season defense, both of these players proved that they could beat anyone, no matter which team they were facing.
These two will present a tough challenge to the Celtics defense, which has looked dominated all year long. I’m not sure if any of these games will be blowouts, but I will say that most of these games will be close.”
-Joshua Ambroise
Skylar Rogers’ NBA Finals Prediction
Celtics win 4-3
I’ll be watching the backcourt matchups closely. If Jrue Holiday is guarding Luka Doncic, the winner of that matchup will be a big factor in who wins the series. Luka will still be able to score, but if he is inefficient, I think the Celtics will be in a good spot to win the series. If Porzingis comes back, it will be interesting how many minutes they will play him after he’s been out since April 29.
Jayson Tatum doesn’t need to be the best player on the floor if the Celtics offense is dominating as a whole. I think Jaylen Brown will continue to be on fire and lead the Celtics in scoring. The wildcard is Kyrie Irving. If Irving has a dominant series scoring when Doncic is on the bench or double-teamed, then I think Dallas will have a chance to win the series.
This should be a high-scoring series with many threes and a fast tempo. I like Dallas’s scoring duo, and they will put up crazy numbers this series and get themselves into a long series. But I think the defense of Derrick White and Jrue Holiday will keep the Celtics close, and Jaylen Brown will find a way to get Boston the championship in game 7.
Patrick Yen’s NBA Finals Prediction
Mavericks win 4-2
I’m a big proponent of going with the best player in the series. In this case, that’s Luka Doncic. Luka also has that aura of playoff dependability that I don’t think Jayson Tatum has.
Lots of people are saying the Celtics role players will be the difference. I say the Finals are for the stars, baby. And Luka is the biggest one in this series. Dismantling the Minnesota Timberwolves as he did was far more impressive than anything that Tatum and the Celtics have done so far. That’s why I’m calling Mavs in six.
(Eric Canha/USA TODAY Sports)
“The Dallas Mavericks magical run will come to an end in the NBA Finals.
The Boston Celtics just have too much star power in Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and Kristaps Porzingis. Derrick White and Jrue Holiday have also been solid.
Holiday will be able to do enough to neutralize Kyrie Irving and/or Luka Doncic to the point where the Celtics will win the Finals in 6 games.”
-Brian Ramos
Matt Strout’s NBA Finals Prediction
Celtics win 4-2
The Celtics will win the NBA Finals if they do two things well: rebound on both ends and cause turnovers. Because the Celtics like to rely on the three-point shot, gaining some second-chance opportunities could help cushion the blow during a cold shooting game. The Celtics lead teams in the Conference Finals in second-chance points with 14.0 points per game. In the last series, when the Celtics shot only 34.9% from three as a team, those multiple opportunities were a major factor in eliminating the Indiana Pacers.
Secondly, forcing the Mavericks into turnovers will be another advantage for the Celtics. The Celtics are uniquely equipped to score in transition with Brown and Tatum, as well as Derrick White and Jrue Holiday. The Celtics ranked 10th in the regular season in fast break points but only 24th in points off turnovers. Getting easy transition opportunities will be critical if games are tight, especially if the Celtics revert back to some of their bad habits in the halfcourt.
This series isn’t going to be a cakewalk for whoever wins. In this scenario, Dallas will show a lot of fight to the Celtics, likely including a monstrous game from Luka or Kyrie. However, I think this Celtics group is ready to face that challenge and claim banner number 18.
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